This invention relates to an automobile headliner, and more particularly to an automobile headliner which is formed from a batt of polymeric fibers compressed and molded into a predetermined contoured shape.
The headliner of an automobile is mounted to the interior (underside) of the vehicle roof and serves to present an aesthetically pleasing finished appearance to the ceiling of the passenger compartment. A further important function of the headliner is to impart acoustical and thermal insulation. In recent years, significant emphasis has been placed on the sound deadening properties of the headliner, and various headliner constructions have been proposed which seek to provide good sound deadening properties, and meet the other demanding requirements of a headliner, as exemplified for example in the following recent U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,265,530, 4,352,522, 4,363,848, 4,420,526, 4,476,183, 4,539,252, 4,600,621, and 4,610,478.
Two basic types of headliner construction have been most widely used. One construction utilizes a batt of glass fibers impregnated with a thermosetting resin. The resin impregnated batt is compression molded into the desired headliner shape, and the resin is cured to maintain the fibers in the molded shape. A thin layer of foam, such as polyurethane, overlies the molded fiberglass batt, and a fabric is attached to the foam to form the exposed interior surface of the headliner.
The other predominant type of construction utilizes a rigid core of a foam material such as polyurethane or polystyrene, which is also surfaced with a thin flexible foam cushioning layer, and a fabric surface layer.
The fiberglass headliner has been widely used in American cars since the late 70's and provides good acoustical insulation. However, a significant limitation of the fiberglass headliner is its brittleness. Because of the relative inflexibility and brittleness of the fiberglass headliner, it is easily fractured or broken during shipment from the manufacturing site to the vehicle assembly plant. The headliner is also subject to damage or breakage during installation, since any significant bending or flexing of the headliner would result in breakage or in a permanent crease. Accordingly, care must be exercised in installing the headliner. Its size and rigidity requires that it be installed through a large opening such as the windshield or rear window opening prior to installation of the glass. Similar problems are encountered with rigid foam headliners.
A further problem with fiberglass headliners is that the glass fibers tend to irritate the skin of workers who must handle the headliners.
With the foregoing in mind, it is a primary object of the present invention to overcome the shortcomings and limitations of the prior headliner constructions.
More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide a headliner having good acoustical and thermal insulating properties, and which is more resilient and flexible than existing headliner constructions so as to facilitate installation in the vehicle and avoid the problem of damage and breakage during shipment and installation.